Alberta’s lobbyist registry gives the public a look at who is meeting with elected officials and the policy decisions they’re trying to influence. But an exemption allowing some groups to side-step the registry has become a top issue in the province’s review of the Lobbyists Act.

Non-profits aren’t required to register as lobbyists under current rules unless they represent for-profit enterprises or management, union or professional interests.

In his submission to the legislative committee tasked with reviewing the legislation, Alberta’s lobbyist registrar Josh de Groot said the exemption “limits transparency” and “can create an incomplete picture of what lobbying is occurring on a particular issue.”

Only two other jurisdictions in Canada, Manitoba and Quebec, have a similar exemption, de Groot noted. Most lobbying legislation in the country takes “what might be called a ‘values-neutral’ approach, such that lobbying by non-profit organizations is treated the same as lobbying by for-profit organizations.”

“Adopting this approach would result in more non-profit organizations being required to register, which would provide more transparency,” he said in his submission to the committee.

Including the registrar, 23 organizations and individuals made submissions about lobbying for the Standing Committee on Alberta’s Economic Future to consider in its review.

The non-profit exemption stood out as one of the top three themes among all submissions, Abdul Bhurgri, a research officer for the legislative assembly, said at a Sept. 24 committee meeting.

Christopher Smith, executive director of the Muttart Foundation, called for the exemption to be maintained, arguing that removing it would produce administrative burden for non-profits.

“The governments of the day understood Albertans aren't interested in layering more reporting requirements onto the local charity that meets with public officials to discuss homelessness or food bank usage,” he said in his submission.

The last time the province reviewed the legislation, Alberta’s former lobbyist registrar Lara Draper recommended narrowing the exemption to prevent groups from “hiding behind” the clause, and called Alberta’s broad exemption a “serious gap in accountability and transparency.”

The committee rejected Draper’s recommendation.

There are more than 29,000 non-profits active in Alberta. Along with food banks and community service providers, there are several policy think tanks and political advocacy groups whose work is more focused on swaying government decisions.

Parents for Choice in Education, a Calgary based non-profit focused on education reform, has taken credit for providing materials to Alberta’s education ministry that helped inform the province’s book ban policy in K-12 schools.

In February, Premier Danielle Smith and Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides met with representatives of 17 organizations to discuss school funding and education policy, including Parents for Choice and the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedom, also a registered Alberta non-profit. Details of the meeting, however, were only released through an access to information request filed by the IJF.

Other political advocacy groups like the Alberta Institute and the Canada Strong and Free Network also appear on the province’s registered non-profit listing.

In his letter to the review committee, de Groot said concerns about the administrative burden of registering raised by small non-profits could be addressed by applying a small organization threshold similar to the more limited exemption applied in Saskatchewan.

The committee has not yet completed its review, but must submit its report to the assembly by spring 2027. Legislation requires that the Lobbyists Act be reviewed every five years, though the government is not required to adopt any changes recommended by the committee.

More Briefs

B.C. crisis pregnancy centre loses charity status

Teachers' union opposes complete repeal of so-called 'spanking defence'

Tech, power and construction companies seek data centre friendly policies in Ontario

B.C. premier-designate’s new chief of staff is a former lobbyist